BJ Hoff's GRACE NOTES

February: Endings and Beginnings

I won't be sorry to see February end. Even so, I'm choosing to see this ending as a beginning. I've already written (on Facebook) about my husband's most recent major surgery, from which he's still recovering. Yesterday we had to have our one remaining furry family member (Ember-Kitty) put to sleep because of an incurable illness and the distress it was causing her. We "rescued" her eleven years ago, and she was a very special part of our family. Then today the company hosted my husband's "official" retirement party. Another ending--but also, I have to believe, a beginning. It was a heartwarming and an admittedly emotional experience, not only for him, but maybe even more so for me. Being married to a man so much-loved, respected, and admired by so many others, reading and hearing their gratitude for what he's "taught" them, and watching the open display of affection by so many, and even the tears shed at his departure, had me fighting for composure more than once. 

No, I won't be sad to say good-bye to this month, but I'm not going to dwell on the endings that have transpired during it either. I'm simply praying that God will turn those endings to new and welcome beginnings. And I pray He'll do the same for you.

BJ

A Simple Act of Kindness

Last evening I witnessed a small but special act of kindness. In a secluded, wooded field not far from our home, I noticed a man setting out water, then food, before walking away. There are no other houses nearby, so I was curious as to what was going on. Within only a few minutes I found out. Four kittens--obviously strays from the looks of them--emerged, two at a time, from the trees. After another moment, they were joined by two raccoons, one large, one small. They looked around, then together--!--ate and drank their fill before disappearing  back into the woods, leaving me to wish I'd had a camera with me.

May God bless the man, whoever he was, who cared enough to minister to those small animals. I had the distinct feeling that this wasn't the first time.  

BJ

 

What Are Friends For?

So far this has been a strange week. Strange in terms of unexpected emails and questions, a few of which left me scratching my head as to how to explain. 

One question that seems to call for a reply had to do with why I hadn't confirmed a "friend" request on Twitter and Facebook. If by some chance you have that same question in mind, let me assure you that it's nothing personal. I deliberately limit my Facebook "friends" and Twitter "followers" to either friends in "real life," or to "friends of friends," or colleagues I work with, or people I either know through email and other communication venues or somehow know of. I use these two social networks primarily to keep in touch with family and friends who live some distance away, even in foreign countries, or to communicate with my readers--answer their questions, update them when a new book is due for release, or reply with other information they've requested.  

I don't--I can't--claim to have thousands or even hundreds of  "real" friends, but even if I did, I couldn't possibly stay in touch with all of them, either on Facebook or Twitter or anywhere else. That's reason enough for me not to "collect" as many followers or friends as I can muster.

I do enjoy the occasional surprise of being contacted by a friend I've lost touch with years ago or a family member I've heard of but never met. And I have always loved hearing from my readers and maintaining close contact with professional associates. But time and a number of other factors make it necessary for me to control how much I do in the way of networking and social activity. I use Facebook and Twitter primarily to stay in contact with my readers and keep in touch with what's happening in the publishing industry--and life in general. I'm a news junkie, and so I enjoy hearing "the latest" without keeping a radio or television tuned to the world outside.

So although I do appreciate your thinking of me, if I don't respond to your invitation, that's why. 

God bless--

BJ

Q & A

 Q.    When you count your blessings, what are you most grateful for?

A.    God and my salvation. My family. Friends. Pets. The gift of writing. Music. Books. Freedom.

Q.    Do you have a favorite hymn?

A.    "Be Thou My Vision," an old Celtic hymn.

Q.    Do you have an office at home? What's it like?

A.    Yes. Cluttered. Loaded with books. An iMac and a MacBook Pro. More books. A printer. More books. An all-in-one fax/printer/copier. More books. Phone. More books. Desk. More books. Computer desk and counter/desk. More books. File cabinets. More books. Maps. More books. Electronic keyboard. Books and stuff. 

Q.    What's your least favorite thing to do?

A.    Dusting. I hate to dust. 

 

Q.    When you read a book, what's the one thing that will make you give up on it faster than anything else?

A.     If it bores me. 

BJ        

Q & A

 I drew this week's questions from those that have to do with writing.  Hope you find my answers helpful. 

Q.    Could you refer me to a good writers handbook or style book?

A.    There are so many of these! Over the years, a writer builds up quite a collection. There are also usage handbooks and grammar handbooks and references--and most of them are reliable. The ones I tend to use most often include the Chicago Manual of Style; The Careful Writer (Theodore Bernstein); Merriam-Webster's Manual for Writers and Editors; Merriam-Webster's Concise Handbook for Writers; Merriam-Webster's English Usage; Dictionary of Modern American Usage (Bryan Garner); The St. Martin's Handbook (Lunsford and Connors); and of course the old but reliable classics, Fowler's English Usage and Strunk and White's Elements of Style. 

Q.    Some of us in the dorm were arguing about what's more important when you're writing a story or a novel, characters or plot. What's your opinion?

A.     One's not much good without the other, after all. You need experience and strength in both. But if you were to ask me which is more memorable, I'd have to say characterization. At least in my case. I remember many of the characters from favorite books I read years ago, but it's doubtful I could recall much about the plots from the same books. 

That applies not only to what I read but also to my own writing. I know my characters first--and I mean really know them. My plots evolve from the characters. My novels are routinely described as "character-driven," and that's why. I've never yet started a novel with the actual plot in mind--but I always have a strong fix on at least my major characters, especially the "anchor."

Q.    I have a great idea for a novel, but my grammar leaves a lot to be desired. How sharp do I have to be in that area? Won't my editor correct any mistakes I make anyway?

A.    I think I hear a few editors grinding their teeth. Look--your editor will try to catch any errors you might make, but his/her job isn't mopping up your spills. You'll greatly improve your chances of selling that great novel if upon reading those first few pages the editor sees that you have a good strong command of the language and how to use it. Do yourself (and your editor) a favor and take a refresher course in grammar skills. An editor wants to concentrate on working with you as a partner in making your novel not just "good," but better than good--think "excellent--" but he's going to expect you to do your job, not just lean on him. And good grammar is definitely a part of that job. 

Q.    Where can I get the best education to become a good writer (and a published one)?

A.    Life and experience. In that order. 

Q.    Do you read poetry? Is it helpful to a fiction writer?

A.    I do. Mostly the Irish poets. Is it helpful? I think it is. If you read a lot of poetry over a long period of time--and continually listen to music as well--I believe you'll develop a different and wider perspective on life. This also helps to develop a keener ear for rhythm and pacing and the "music" of words and phrases in fiction. But even if it accomplishes none of these, it brings a kind of peace to your spirit. And that peace may ultimately be more important than anything else.  

Write on!

BJ

Many Thanks

 Just wanted to drop in long enough to say thanks to all who have contacted me about my husband. His surgery went extremely well, and he's making good progress. 

I appreciate so much your inquiries--your emails and cards--and especially your prayers. There's still one more procedure to go, once he's fully recovered from this time around, and I'll keep in touch as we go.

Again, many thanks. You've been wonderful!

BJ

Here Today ... Gone Tomorrow

Just so you know ... I'll be away from the blog for a few days.

Life interruption.

BJ

Q & A

 Q.    I know you write only novels, but do you read nonfiction? If you do, who is your favorite nonfiction author? 

A.    I read a lot of nonfiction, and there are a number of NF writers I enjoy. Probably first on the list would be A.W. Tozer. I read most of Philip Yancey's work also. I love the works of the Irish missionary, Amy Carmichael. C.S. Lewis. Journalist and essayist Pete Hamill (who also writes fiction). Biographies and devotionals are also among my favorite NF writings.

Q.    Do you communicate with your readers? What's the best way to hear from you?

A.    I do my best to answer letters and email. Email makes it much easier for me to respond. I try to get around to regular mail also, but that takes longer. You're not likely to get an instant reply, but if you'll be patient, eventually you'll hear from me. Almost always--unless your email ends up in my spam box, which, unfortunately, does happen.

  Q.    What's the most fun thing you've ever done as a writer? The least fun?

A.    Most fun? I once spent a day with the Columbus SWAT team. That was a hoot. As it turned out, the book I was researching was never written--I switched to writing historical fiction exclusively not long after--but it was a great experience all the same.

    Least fun? Travel. I absolutely detest traveling, especially now, given all the airport chaos and security hassles.  If I could simply take a long nap and wake up at my destination, I'd be fine. I just hate airports. So I've given them up! 

Q.    What's the most important thing you'd tell an aspiring novelist about characterization?  

A.    Know your people. Know them as well as you know your family members (in some cases, know them even better). Live with them quite a long time before you try to write their stories. Know their reactions well enough that you can predict their actions. Know their back stories, their dreams, their failures, their successes, their likes and dislikes. Know their voices, their individual tastes, their agonies and their ecstasies. Be joined at the hip with them. Whether you disappoint your readers or make them beg for more will ultimately depend on your characters. 

Q.    I recently read both your historical novels about the Amish. You must have done a lot of research about them. What things interested you the most about the Amish people? 

A.    One of the things that fascinates me most about the Amish is the importance they place on forgiveness. It's a vital, all-important tenet of their faith. We "Englisch" (non-Amish) can learn a number of valuable lessons from them about the quality and significance of forgiveness. 

BJ

I'll Take My Crow without Catsup, Please ...

Okay, so I'm eating a little crow here, having launched into something that I've resisted for years--that being the "social networking" site of Facebook. I finally buckled and let my media management set me up with a friend page and a fan page there to give some promo to the upcoming release of Where Grace Abides (two weeks away--October 1!).

Save the snickers and snorts and chuckly emails. Unless this works out a whole lot better than I anticipate, given my terminal introverted personality, it may be only a temporary measure. But in the meantime, if you're interested in signing up as a "fan" or in "friending me," be my guest at the following links:

http://www.facebook.com/people/Bj-Hoff/1644631933

http://www.facebook.com/pages/BJ-Hoff/157802033131

BJ

 

 

A Big Little Life

Because I know there are a number of us who are readers and enthusiastic fans of Dean Koontz, I wanted to give a heads-up on a book unlike anything he's written before. I've read two biographies of him and several interviews, but I don't believe I've ever read anything in which he's as vulnerable and as open as he is in this book. I honestly laughed ... and cried ... my way through it.

It's no secret to any of us that he dearly loved his golden retriever, Trixie, who died when she was twelve. She even had a blog of her own and was allowed to speak her mind on numerous occasions. 

I'll admit to being biased when it comes to golden retrievers--having owned three, I can attest to their intelligence, their bottomless capacity for love, comedy, and understanding. So the fact that one of our busiest and most successful authors would take time to write a book that's both tribute to and memoir of his dog doesn't surprise me, not a bit. It seems only fitting.

But there's a lot more than tribute and memoir in this book. You know it after reading the first few pages, and when you reach the end, you may not consciously understand that you've been instructed in wisdom and blessed by someone else's encounter with love, but trust me--you'll never look at a dog in quite the same way again ... and you'll know Dean Koontz even better than you thought you did. You'll also learn a few things you might not have fully grasped before.

Dean Koontz's writing is elegant, insightful, and moving--as always. Just a taste: "In this big world, she was a little thing, but in all the ways that mattered, including the effect she had on those who loved her, she lived a big life. In each little life, we can see great truth and beauty, and in each little life we glimpse the way of all things in the universe. If we allow ourselves to be enchanted by the beauty of the ordinary, we begin to see that all things are extraordinary. If we allow ourselves to be humbled by what we do not and cannot know, in our humility we are exalted. If we allow ourselves to recognize the mystery and the wonder of existence, our fogged minds clear. Thinking clearly, we follow wonder to awe, and in a state of awe, we are as close to true wisdom as we will ever be. Trixie was innocent and joyful, but also at times enigmatic and solemn. I learned as much from this good dog as from all my years in school." (DK)

A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog, by Dean Koontz. It's a wonder.

BJ